"The Lord is my light, and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Psalms 27:1
"Fear thou not: for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strenthen thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness." Isaiah 41:10
A bump in the night. The sound of a crying baby. The crash of breaking glass. A sudden barking dog awakens you in the night. Three in the morning and the phone rings. All of these are things which might cause us to fear.
Many times a simple change in the things around us can cause us distress because we become afraid. Many times throughout the Bible, the people became afraid. It is easy to become afraid of uncertainty, but there are 365 scriptures in the Bible that say, “FEAR NOT!”
The devil would have us to be afraid of the darkness, but we have got to come to the place where we understand that there is no fear when you have the Light dwelling within; we should not be afraid. I realize the world we live in is paralyzed with fear. War, famine, depression, anxiety, storms; these are the normal factors in our lives. It is easy to begin to worry, and once we start, it is hard to stop. However, in the 23rd Psalm, David wrote, “I will fear no evil, thy rod and they staff, they comfort me.”
Often, in the midst of our greatest trials, we can find strength to overcome our fears if we can just learn to depend on God.
In 1 Kings, chapter 17, we read of the widow who had just a little oil, just a handful of meal. And she decided she would make one more small cake for her child and herself. She decided they would eat the little cake, and then sit down in a corner to die. They had no way to support themselves in the famine that rocked the land, and therefore this was their final hope. We can see similar situations in the African nations even today. People are literally starving to death for want of a bite of food, and willing to just accept that lifestyle of do what they can, and die.
Along came the prophet, and he asked the widow woman to feed him instead. The audacity of that man. How dare he! However, because of her willingness to trust the man of God, and to feed him first, she was able to see the sustaining power of God. We can trust in God to see us through the hard times if we learn first to follow the leading of the shepherd.
In Isaiah 43:1 we read, “Fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name; thou art mine.” We are his workmanship; we belong to him, and we don’t need to fear.
I remember hearing a story a long time ago about a little boy and his boat. He had seen a toy boat in the window and oh how he wished he could have one to play with. But he had no money, and the little boat in the window was more money than he could even dream of having. So the little boy found a piece of wood, and he carved and sanded it until it looked a little bit like the boat in the window. He took some red paint he found, and with loving hands he slowly coated the little boat. He then got one of his father’s old handkerchiefs and put a sail on his little boat. Finally, it was just what he had wanted. He had a boat of his own.
One day while playing with his boat in the little creek that ran beside his house, ominous storm clouds rolled in. The wind begins to blow fiercely, and the little red boat sailed majestically down the creek and into the river. The little boy chased after his boat, but the current was too swift, and the river took his boat from him. Sadly and with much disappointment, the little boy had to go home. It was too dark to see, and his little red boat was gone!
After a couple of weeks, the little boy was back in front of the store window, wishing for his boat when he noticed off to one side, there behind a couple dolls was His Boat! He ran inside the store and told the man behind the counter that his boat was in the window.
The man looked at the little boy and asked him, “How much money do you have to buy the boat?” The little boy tried to make him understand that he had carved and painted the little boat with his own hands, but to no avail. Although he had made the little red boat, the only way to get it back, was to pay the price.
Right away, he started collecting bottles, running errands for other people, doing any odd job a little boy could do, just to earn enough money to buy the little boat. After about a month he had collected enough money to buy the little boat. He hurriedly went down to the store and told the man behind the counter, he wanted the little red boat in the window. This time when he was questioned about the money, he was able to place it in the man’s hands. Walking out of the store with the boat in his hands cradled ever so gently, if you listened closely you could hear the little boy say lovingly, “First, I wanted one of my own; then I made you, and now I have bought you. You belong to me!”
Thou art mine! To know that Jesus created us, loved us, paid his precious blood to redeem us; what an awesome thought. He will come thru in the storms of our life to bring us peace.
In Matthew 14, we read that Jesus had fed the multitude with just a little boy’s lunch, and thereafter had went to the mountain to pray. He had sent his disciples ahead to the other side of the sea, but in the midst of their trip, the winds became contrary, and the ship was tossed about on the waves. In all the tumult that was crashing around, here came Jesus walking on the water, and the disciples became afraid. Not of the storm, and the waves crashing about, but of Jesus coming toward them on the water. And they cried out in fear. “But straightway Jesus spake unto them saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.”
Sometimes, the way Jesus chooses to meet our needs may cause us to fear. However, we have to realize he knows what he is doing. Trust him! Maybe circumstances will kick up a few storms, but hold on, Jesus will come along on the top of our trial, and give us the victory.
If we were able to look in on the devil, and could see who he really is, chances are we would no longer be afraid when things seem to be going wrong. The Bible says, “Be strong, be vigilant, for the Lord our God is mighty!”
So how do we defeat fear? Being a witness is the easiest way to overcome the enemy. It is true; sometimes telling others about Christ can be scary. In Matthew 10:27, 28, we read, “What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light; and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
In the book of Revelation we read of those who overcame the deceiver by the blood of the Lamb, and by their testimony. We can become overcomers by simply not allowing fear to reign in us. Teddy Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself.” Fear is like a cancer; it spreads quickly when fed; it quickly builds upon itself; and before long has taken over our whole being if left unchecked.
Can you overcome the fears of life? Sure you can; thru the love of Christ! Just like the little boy and his boat, Christ’s love for us is a strong force that we can cling to. The apostle Paul put it best when he wrote in Romans 8:35, 37-39. “Who shall separate u from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
No, I am not afraid of the darkness, for I know I’ve got the Light! FEAR NOT!
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